Fate Whispers
by rewob17
Summary: Danny and Steve are injured and stranded on an unknown island.


A/N: As always, the characters and show are not my own. I'm just having some fun at their expense. A huge thank you to Fifilla, Wenwalke and TheDogo for their help with this story. Any goofs that remain are entirely my own.

* * *

Fate whispers to the warrior, "You cannot withstand the storm.

The warrior whispers back, "I am the storm."

-Unknown

 _The old, stone building stood silent witness to the horrors of war. The ground in front of the crumbling structure littered with bodies. Blood quickly soaked into the desert sand, obscuring the carnage that had just occurred. Intense heat baked the ground dry as the morning sun started to peek over the distant mountain range. The warrior, in his tan camouflage, stood panting as he surveyed the havoc he had wrought. His M4A1 carbine assault rifle, barrel still smoking, slowly dipped down and almost slipped from his fingers. Some deep, soldierly instinct caused his hand to contract at just the right moment to keep it from falling. In his other hand he held a formidable looking combat knife. Rivulets of blood ran down the serrated blade. Each drop softly plopped onto the thirsty sand where they, too, were quickly absorbed and forgotten. The warrior's breath shuddered. He forced himself to turn and walk towards the smoking ruins of what had been his convoy. The blowing sand began to cover the enemies' bodies behind him._

"Steve? Steve!"

He felt a hand shaking him as he struggled to make sense of his surroundings. He felt the gritty sand beneath him and surged up, hands raised to ward off the threat.

"Whoa, buddy!" The man leaned back. "It's just me."

Steve blinked rapidly until his vision cleared. Noticed the sand he was on was not desert sand but sand on a beach. In Hawaii. The beach was in Hawaii. His mind couldn't quite place where they were, but the raging wind and dark skies didn't bode well.

"Can you move?" The other man glanced at the storm before eyeing him up and down to determine injuries.

Steve nodded but didn't speak. He pushed aside the memory of the ambushed convoy but couldn't shake off the feeling it aroused inside.

"C'mon." The man tugged lightly on his sleeve. "They aren't far behind us. We have to find shelter."

Steve followed, slipping slightly in the uneven sand. Blood trickled down his face from what he assumed was a scalp wound. He wasn't sure if the pounding he heard was all in his head or the violent surf washing up on shore. He looked around and tried to remember where they were and what they were doing. He couldn't. He could remember his name and rank. He looked at the shorter man leading him off the beach. He knew he could trust him... Danny! His name was Danny. He knew he could trust Danny, but he couldn't remember anything else.

"He's dead, c'mon."

Steve's head snapped up. He opened his mouth then quickly shut it again.

"Trust me." Danny jerked his head behind them. "Whoever his buddies are back there, they got him. He won't be making a statement to us or anyone else ever again. We have to get outta here before they do the same to us."

Steve let himself be dragged along, still unsure what exactly was going on. He shook his head to try to clear it but only managed to make himself dizzy. He stumbled and swayed. Suddenly, his arm was lifted over Danny's shoulder and he felt him squeeze his arm as he helped him off the beach and into the surrounding trees.

Danny paused right inside the tree line and scanned the beach. "We gotta go. They have to be right behind us. We can't have thrown them off that much. I don't see their boat. Maybe they saw us crash so they landed elsewhere. Do you know this island? Is there another beach close by where they could do that?"

Steve shook his head, opened his mouth to speak but was pulled further into the trees before he could get a sound out. He tried to keep his bearings as they stumbled through the trees but soon had to concentrate solely on keeping his footing.

"Look." Danny pulled up short and pointed. "Up there. Is that a cave?"

Steve squinted, but Danny was already leading him down a narrow trail that wasn't meant for two full grown men side by side. He tried to swat branches which did no good. He settled for keeping his hand up to deflect them away from his face. He glanced at Danny and wondered why he wasn't doing the same. Before long, the trail became steeper and more difficult. It was all he could do to stay on his feet, but he had no choice as Danny kept a tight hold on him and kept him moving.

"Okay, here we are," Danny puffed. "Not exactly the Hilton, but it'll have to do."

Steve narrowly missed hitting his head on a jagged rock outcropping as they entered the little cave. As his eyes adjusted, he noticed the cave was nothing more than a rain-carved opening with barely enough room for the two of them. He jumped at the sudden flash of lightning and simultaneous boom of thunder. Spun around with his knife halfway out of the ankle holster.

"Whoa!" Danny shook his head and grabbed his arm to stop the movement. "You brought your knife on a prisoner transfer? Of course you did. What am I saying? Probably got a spare gun up your sleeve, too."

Steve slid the knife back into the holster as Danny continued to mutter to himself and pace near the opening of the cave. It made him more dizzy to watch Danny pace. With another rumble of thunder, the wind increased in intensity and the rain poured down. The opening now looked like a waterfall, but Danny didn't seem to care. He paced two steps to his left, and then back two steps to his right. Two steps left. Two steps right. Rain cascaded over him, soaking him and turning the floor into a muddy mess. Steve watched in fascination as Danny's lips continued to move though he couldn't hear anything over the tropical storm.

Steve rested against the cave wall trying to regain his strength and reserve what was left. He tried to remember anything from that day but couldn't; other than waking up on the beach with Danny. But as he looked at Danny again, he had a brief flash of another cave. This time it was sunny, and the two of them were on the outside. He remembered going in, but Danny didn't follow. Because... Because why? Because... he was claustrophobic! Danny was claustrophobic!

Steve shook his head, trying to get his muzzy head working clearly again as he approached Danny. He put his hands on his shoulders. "Danny, just stop. It's okay."

Danny flinched and took a half step back, knocking Steve's hand off his left shoulder. "No, it's not, Steve. It's not okay. It's everything _but_ okay."

"Danny," Steve paused. He wasn't sure what to say before deciding on what he thought was the safest route. "I'm sorry."

Danny stopped and leaned in towards Steve, seriously invading his personal space. "Sorry for what? Sorry for dragging me on that godforsaken boat when I told you the weather wasn't right? Sorry for us landing on this godforsaken island?" Danny's voice softened a little. "Or sorry that you took a knock to the head and can't remember me or what's going on?"

Steve gaped. "What? How did... I mean, what makes you think I can't remember you?"

"I can see it in your eyes, babe." Danny's eyes sparkled. His lips quirked upwards at Steve's look. "I've been stuck with you for a long time now. I haven't seen that look in your eye in years. It's that thousand yard stare you had when we first met, but without any recognition in it. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd bet you think you're still in the SEAL's and you're in full combat mode."

"I'm not in the SEAL's anymore?" Steve gulped. He had a brief flashback to the desert and the bombed out building where his convoy had been hit.

"Once a SEAL, always a SEAL." Danny assured him. "More true with you than anyone I've ever met, so don't worry. But, no, you're not active duty Navy any more. Five-0. Do you remember Five-0?"

Steve thought for a moment. He shook his head.

Danny frowned. "Chin? Kono? Lou?"

Steve shook his head again. "I'm sorry, Danny."

Danny sighed, eyes sad. "But then how do you remember me?"

"I don't remember you exactly," Steve admitted, without being able to meet his gaze. "I remember your name and that I can trust you. But that's it. Well, just a minute ago I remembered that you're claustrophobic."

Danny looked around and shuddered. "I guess that's better than nothing."

"So let me take a look at your arm."

"My arm?" Danny backed away, coming up short as his back hit the cave wall.

"You're not the only one who notices things. You haven't been using your left arm at all. Is your shoulder dislocated? I can fix that, you know."

"I was afraid you were going to say that." Danny moaned.

Steve probed Danny's arm and shoulder as gently as he could. "Yup, I think it's dislocated. It'll hurt, but I can put it back into place. You'll still have to be careful, but the sooner it's back in place, the less painful it'll be."

Danny nodded, "I knew you were going to say that, too. Okay, let's do this."

Steve reached down and unfastened his ankle holster and held the sheathed knife up to Danny. "Here."

"What, you want me to stab you?" Danny smiled and took it.

"That's what I have for you to bite down on. You're gonna want it."

"Great," Danny muttered. "Thing's been strapped to your ankle for who knows how long. Sounds real hygienic to me."

"Take it or leave it."

Danny took another disdainful look at it before he shoved the handle between his teeth and clamped down. He looked at Steve, eyes serious now, and nodded.

Steve nodded back. "One... Two... Three." On 'three' Steve pushed on Danny's left shoulder while trying to steady him with his other hand. Ignoring Danny's growl of pain around the knife, Steve pushed until he felt the shoulder pop back into place. He kept his hands on him and steadied him when his knees started to buckle.

Danny steadied himself and practically spit the knife into his hand. He groaned but was able to rotate his shoulder a little. He cradled his left arm again, hugging it to his abdomen, and nodded at Steve. "Thanks."

"Better?"

"A little."

"Try not to move it too much yet," Steve told him. "Too bad you don't wear your ties any more. We could've made a sling."

Danny stared, "My ties? _That's_ what you remember? My ties?"

Steve frowned, "I guess so."

"Anything else?"

Steve thought for a moment and then shrugged. "No. Just ties."

"Terrific." Danny shook his head. "You let me know if anything else pops into that thick head of yours."

"Sure, Danno."

"Seriously? How many..." Danny didn't finish his thought. Steve watched him fall back into the wall with a thud, a look of utter surprise on his face.

Pain exploded in Danny's abdomen. He gasped for breath as he realized he was now sitting on the muddy floor of the cave. Man, he hated being shot! He shook his head to clear it. He jumped a little when he realized Steve was suddenly right in front of him.

"Danny?" Steve leaned in and grabbed his hands. They were clutched over his stomach, blood leaking between his fingers. "You okay? Talk to me."

Danny took in a pained breath. "I'll be okay. Where's the shooter?"

"I don't know." Steve looked over his shoulder at the cave entrance. "We've gotta get outta here."

Before either man could move, three silhouettes filled the entrance with a fourth shadowy figure to the side.

"Well, here we are then," one of the voices chuckled. "You two were much easier to find than I expected."

"Who are you?" Steve slowly raised his hands outwards, pivoting to face the ominous quartet, but remained kneeling by Danny's feet.

"Oh, I'm sure you know, Commander. We already found Pedro on the beach. It's a shame he won't be able to testify. That really does solve most of my problems."

"Then why are you here?" Danny spit out, trying to curb a cough. He didn't want to give them the satisfaction of knowing how much he hurt.

"This seemed like a golden opportunity. The trial won't happen now, but your petty, little task force will keep digging and trying to set me up for something else. I don't want to keep looking over my shoulder so I thought I'd take care of my little Five-0 problem while I could."

"You can't kill us all," Danny pointed out, letting a hand fall to his side.

"No," the man sighed, "but by taking out the leaders, it will throw the rest into chaos and send a strong message to any of my rivals who may wish to take me down."

"Think this through," Steve urged, bringing his hands down slowly to his legs.

"Enough talk." A low rumble of thunder over the nearby ocean added to the ominous tone of the words.

Danny used Steve's body as a shield and unsheathed the knife, flicking his eyes towards the men with the guns. He wiped his bloody hands on his pant leg and then slid the knife forward, hilt first, until it touched Steve's hand. Steve never looked back as he firmly gripped the knife handle. Danny saw him tense and wished he could do something more.

Danny saw the leader look over his shoulder. Steve launched himself at the man, knife flashing along with the lightning outside. The leader and one henchman were down clutching their throats and twitching before the other two realized anything was wrong. Danny saw the shadowy form in the entrance start to raise his rifle. "Steve!"

Steve thrust his knife into the ribs of the guard on the right and pulled the guy with him as he turned to face the remaining threat. He propelled the man forward until a mere foot separated him from his other target. Then he pulled his knife out and pushed the injured man towards his cohort. The target fired, but the shot hit Steve's captive in the chest.

Danny gasped. His heart caught in his throat as Steve pushed the final two men out of the cave. He was sure Steve's momentum would carry him over the cliff edge as well. He watched Steve give a final heave and then stop. The noise of the storm covered any sound of the men falling.

Danny tried to push himself up but groaned and slumped back down as his vision grayed. He saw Steve, knife still in hand, re-enter the cave just as the rain intensified. The storm crescendoed as thunder roared and lightning flashed. Danny blinked furiously trying to stay awake. His last vision before losing his fight with consciousness, was of Steve. A lightning flash illuminated his eyes, and Danny didn't see his partner, he saw a warrior returning from battle.

When Danny next opened his eyes, he was surprised to find himself in a hospital room. The lights were dim and a quick glance out the window confirmed that it was night. There was the all too familiar pull of an IV line in his arm. He noticed a dull ache in his abdomen. He felt his stomach and realized there was a bandage; then ran into a drain as his fingers probed the edges of the bandage. Right, he was shot. He hated how the pain meds messed with his head. He didn't remember how he got there or anything after Steve so efficiently dispatched their attackers. Steve!

Danny struggled to sit up a little or find the control for the bed. He discovered he was hampered by a sling on his left arm and the IV line in his right which was snagged on something. He finally found the controller on the bed and pushed a button. The lights behind him became brighter, but the bed remained still. "You stupid son of a..."

"Danny?"

Danny stilled. "Steve?"

"Yeah, buddy, I'm right here." Steve emerged from a dark corner of the room.

"Hey." Danny settled back on his pillow again, absentmindedly rubbing his sore stomach.

"How d'ya feel?"

"Like I've been shot." Danny snorted. "It sucks."

"I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault."

"You told me once that you need to apologize if you get someone shot... so, I'm sorry."

Danny frowned. "First, you didn't get me shot. Second, how's your head? Still no memory, huh?"

"Actually, my memory is fine." Steve smiled. "Doc said it was temporary amnesia due to a bump on the head. They kept me in here overnight with fluids, and when I woke up, I was back."

"Back, huh?"

"Don't sound so disappointed." Steve smiled and settled on the edge of Danny's bed. "I thought you didn't like old me. SEAL me."

"Why wouldn't I? After all, that's who I first met."

"Yeah, and you kept reminding me that you hated me any chance you got."

"You know I wasn't serious." Danny poked Steve's leg. "Besides, SEAL you just saved my butt."

"Yeah, about that... I'm sorry." He held up a hand to stop Danny's retort. "Not about saving your life. I'm sorry about how I reacted."

"Steve..."

"No, Danny." Steve launched himself off the bed and started to pace. "I was kind of in a fog. I can think back now and actually see myself. There was only one other time when I was that way. I dunno, maybe it's because that's actually where I thought I was when I regained consciousness on that beach. That time... well, that time I lost my entire squad in an ambush. This time, you were my squad. I couldn't let it happen again so after you were shot and you slipped me that knife - good move, by the way - I got that tunnel vision. I couldn't let them beat us."

"It's okay, babe." Danny smiled. "I get it. I do. For all the razzing I give you about being a Neanderthal, I really am grateful for your training. Never apologize for who you are. You were in warrior mode, and it's what we needed at the time. It's all good. But I _am_ glad you're back. That all your memories are back... I'd hate to have to break you in as my partner all over again."

Steve chuckled and sat back down, " _You_ don't want to have to train _me_?"

Danny simply smiled and closed his eyes.

"Love you, partner."

"Love you, too, Super Seal. I'm glad you're back."

* * *

A/N: That's it. Just a one-shot from me for once. :-) Hope it helps ease some time before Season 7 begins.


End file.
